Healthy Shabu Shabu

Waiting for the waiter to pour stock into the hot pot

Mr. G was craving for Spanish but the Spanish place near Oyster Bar in Powerplant has closed down. I thought he would drag me to The Fort or elsewhere for a paella. Instead, he settled for shabu shabu.

Waiting for the stock (called dashi) to boil

I'm of the belief that eating at a shabu shabu restaurant is less about the food and more about the experience. But I always wondered whether I did things right (more about that later).

There were controls on the table to regulate the amount of heat

It didn't take long before the broth was in full boil

I flavored the broth with ginger, scallions, bird's eye chili, and shrimp paste

Mr. G ordered a mix of meat (US Angus) and seafood (group B on the menu, the one with prawns, salmon, scallops and green mussels). I opted for the same combination but with a different meat (beef tenderloin).

The ponzu, which I poured into the broth

Our orders came with the standard serving of greens, tofu, kani, corn, shiitake mushroom, udon noodles, squid and chicken balls, and egg.

According to my research, we did most things right, except for the ponzu, which is usually used as a dipping sauce. You can season it to taste with the serving of scallions, chilli, and ginger, and even combine the egg with the dip to make a more unctuous sauce.

You can then fish the meat and veggies out of the broth and dip it in the sauce. Oh well. Next time.

Packo's Grill

Laing - Not bad but nothing special

Tortang talong

This is one of our go-to places for a late dinner because it's very near where we work, it closes late, and the food isn't bad, not to mention affordable.

Rellenong pusit

The rellenong pusit is our perennial favorite. We usually pair it with either tortang giniling or tortang talong.

Murray & D'Vine

Mr. G's Kobe burger

My wagyu burger

We wanted to try out Chelsea Place but it was about to close by the time we made it to Serendra. By then, we were so famished we were ready to try just about anything. Gourmet burgers seemed like a good idea so we tried out Murray & D'Vine. Mr. G ordered the Kobe beef burger while I chose the Wagyu variety. We split each in half so we can have a taste of both. Mr. G's made the better choice but we both agree that we've tasted better burgers.

Taste of L.A.

Beef fondue

The fantastic olive rice that is served with the beef fondue

The calorie-laden pleasure-in-a-wrap, Pritchon

Old favorites seem to be haunting me the past few weeks. Here's another. We used to frequent this place--until we started running and found that our nocturnal lifestyle didn't go well with our new sport.

I. Covet.

Saw these items in Travel+Leisure's Best Travel Gifts 2009 article and I can't help but WANT.

Water-resistant watches, Nixon

Leather boots from Tsubo

Hermes notebooks

Best-selling 1932 French cookbook by Ginette Mathiot, now in English, Phaidon.

14-karat-gold necklace with N.Y. initials, Ginette NY

Handbag-clutch from Cartier

New Bombay

The Menu

Chicken Tikka Masala

After attending an event at the Podium last Friday, I found my tummy craving for "real food" after the palate-stimulating hors d'oeuvres. My friend B has heard of a new Indian place in the building that was supposedly good. We asked the Concierge about it and were led to the New Bombay restaurant on the fifth floor near the cinemas.

Chapati

I wasn't particularly craving for Indian food but I was sooo glad we went there. The food was rich and flavorful, the kind that sticks to your stomach. We called a friend who has been there to suggest to us what to try. He recommended the chicken tikka masala (Php195) and mushroom greenpeas masala (Php185) and the chapati (php30 each). So that was what we ordered. He later texted to further suggest the biryani but we doubted whether we would consume that much food between the two of us. We saved the other specialties for another time.

Mushroom Greenpeas Masala

I was very pleased with what we ordered, particularly with the greenpeas masala, which I haven't tried before. I loved biting into the chunks of cheese mixed in with the savory sauce.

Arya

Beef koobideh

Mr. G and I have always loved this Persian restaurant at Greenhills Promenade. The food was good and the service even better. The owner makes it a point to greet every diner and, when we became regulars, he'd give us a nod of recognition and approach our table once in a while to check on how we're doing. But after a succession of shawarma and kebab dinners, we temporarily lost our taste for Persian food and turned our favor on Asian.

Mourg barg (chicken)

Hummus

Last week, when we got off early from work, we decided to revisit this old favorite. We weren't disappointed. In fact, we were surprised that the food tasted even better. I couldn't get enough of the hummus and the mourg barg had a lovely smoky taste.

A Tale of Two Markets (Part 2)

Never too early for lunch

Inang's Leche Flan--good, not too sweet

I met up with friends again the next day to jog in UP and to visit the Lung Center Sunday market. I did only three rounds because I still felt weak from my half-day diet.

Organically raised tilapia

I had high expectations of the Lung Center market but I was disappointed. It was much too chaotic for my taste. And it was so hot the cakes were melting on their pedestals. The aisles were lined with vats and kettles of cooked food. There were clothes and bags on sale too so it had the feel of a tiangge.

Seems to be a weekend market staple. Also saw this at the Salcedo market

An assortment of breads

I didn't see anything that caught my fancy, save for wheatgrass, which I've been curious about since Sonya showed me a flyer on how it helps in detoxification. I bought two sachet packs, one original and the other with honey.

A Tale of Two Weekend Markets (Part 1)

I've been wanting to check out Manila's growing list of weekend markets but I couldn't get myself to get up early enough. But with Mr. G in Hong Kong, I found no good reason to stay at home.

I asked two friends to pick me up and drive to the Salcedo Weekend Market. We got there before 8am and found the place packed. But we were lucky enough to find parking near the entrance.

My, what a feast for the senses. Just look at the pictures and tell me if you don't agree.

Can you smell the bbq?

I think grilling brings out the sweetness of corn

Giant macarons!

I gained pounds just looking at this.

Love the bread and the dips.

Chicken and eggplant lasagna. Yum!

Imagine with butter and garlic, finished with a squeeze of lemon.

More seafood

Mr. Crepe

Roasted calf

I'll be back for you

Man's best friend

So much to eat, so little time

Mr. G would love these but I didn't buy because I was told they wouldn't keep

I love kielbasa.

I smell lunch.

Heat of varying degrees

Lots of hard-to-find spices

Smoked fish

Fabada, my next favorite Spanish dish to callos

Will try next time.

So, what did I get to try?

I'll never pass up shawarma, especially if the meat is wagyu.

And Ilocos empanada.

What was in my shopping bag:

Seedless and sweet

From Davao

Very hard to find.

For one of my friends and benefactor, who's a malunggay believer

Sweetener made from coconut